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| - I wanted to love Union Pig & Chicken. I think that I *could* love Union Pig & Chicken. It's just not quite there yet. I have been twice: once for dinner on a slow weeknight and once for lunch on a Saturday. Both experience were good, just not great.
The Great:
Service - Both visits, our servers were fun and knowledgeable and the food arrived promptly and hot. No complaints whatsoever here.
The ribs - Oh dear, where do I begin? These racks of shear beauty were tender, juicy, and just fell right of the bone. No excessive sauce or grease, just pure, meaty heaven. I especially enjoyed them with a little added vinegary Carolina BBQ sauce
The pork shoulder - A close second to the ribs. The beautifully seasoned cubes of pig nearly melt in your mouth.
The collard greens - Perfectly cooked vinegary, bacony goodness.
The drinks - For this lover of savory cocktails, the smoked onion, black pepper, and local maple infused rye on the rocks either alone or with a splash of soda was perfectly executed libational genius. They also mix up some mean cocktails with Wigle whiskey.
The Meh:
The fried chicken - Moist meat and good flavor, but the breading came out rather soggy on our first visit. On the second, there was a bit more crisp going on, but it still was just average.
The brisket - Tough and dry with little flavor. My least favorite thing I tried.
The ambiance - Aesthetically, I love the place. The picnic tablecloth wall, the rustic, exposed wood walls and beams, the picnic-like long tables. Because it is so bare, though, it gets really loud. I am generally not sensitive to noise in restaurants or bars at all, but Union Pig is pretty darn loud when packed.
The cornbread - Decent flavor, but quite dense and dry.
The mac and cheese - It had a nice cheese crust on the side, but I found it a bit bland and mushy.
Conclusion:
A good start, but there is absolutely room for improvement. Given the varying reviews for the same dishes (e.g., the brisket being described as very moist by some and tough and dry by others and my experience with very different levels of crispyness with the chicken) makes me think that there is a consistency problem. It's a new restaurant, though, so I'm hopeful they can work that out. Overall, a fun place to go with some standouts. I look forward to my next visit and hope to see it work out some of the kinks.
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